


Project TITAN

by Caelan



Category: Attack on Titan, Shingeki no Kyojin
Genre: Alternate Universe- 30th Century, Alternate Universe- Post Apocalyptic, Alternate Universe- Space, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-03
Updated: 2013-11-03
Packaged: 2017-12-29 11:54:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1005128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caelan/pseuds/Caelan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every once in a great while, humanity unlocks a secret so profound that it alters our future forever. Fire, electricity, the splitting of the atom; all pushed the human race further ahead.<br/>At the dawn of the 30th century, we unlocked another secret, one so great that it could permanently change our roles in the universe. It could not have come at a better time, for all the war and devastation that racked our world like a terrible plague. We called it the TITAN project, and with it we hoped to correct and fix that which we’d already destroyed.<br/>Unfortunately we didn't fully understand what we had created.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Project TITAN

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Shingeki fandom! This is my first published fic for the fandom (actually, ever) and I'm trying this one on for size, putting on my shoes and checking it out, because oh, I do so love AU's and I hope that you enjoy this one that I've concocted!
> 
> This is the first chapter, and the second chapter will be released very soon, as it is essentially the second half of this chapter. I decided to split the chapter in half for the sake of your reading experience.
> 
> Depending on how the middle chapters go, this fic could be anywhere from ten chapters to twenty. I hope that you enjoy it~

Wind howled against the window frame, the eerie keening grating on the nerves of the people crouched on the floor, knees hugged against their chests, heads bent low as if they were hiding. A woman spoke gently from another side of the room, her position more relaxed, though she, too, was hidden beneath a kitchen counter top.

“Eren, your father will be home soon.”

The boy responded by looking up at his mother, and nodding his head once, fear evident in the clear teal eyes that stared at her, his lip wavering lightly. Without saying a word, he stood so to draw the window closed, the sound too much, the light leaking in too frightening.

Armin sat huddled where he had been previously, face buried in the folds of his blue jacket, shoulders shaking with the force he put behind obscuring his own sniffles of sadness. Eren returned to his seat next to the blond boy, his companionship being the only comfort that he could offer.

If Grisha didn’t make it home with Mikasa soon, then they would be forced to leave.

A gentle knocking on the door caught their attention, and the brunette was on his feet dashing to unbolt the door to let in the only person who could possibly be knocking.

“Dad, you made it!” He glanced down at his side, to the bed of black hair that just barely poked out from behind his father’s over-sized jacket.

Grisha acknowledged his son with a small nod before turning to his wife who had also stood, her form teetering near the counter, “Grisha?”

“Carla, Eren, Armin, Mikasa, we have to leave. Now!” The voice was low and commanding and Eren whipped around to grab the blond boy by his wrist and drag him out the front door, where his parents and Mikasa were already waiting for them.

The wind outside lapped at their ankles, snatching the fabric of their coats and snapping it harshly against their skin. One of his father’s colleagues sat ready in a hover vehicle, the mechanical whirrs loud enough that everyone save for Dr. Jaeger cringed. Aircraft blew past overhead, their lights harsh as they spotted over the cowering family. Curious eyes traced their movements, but quickly looked away as several more passed overhead.

One after the other, the disgruntled group tumbled into the transport vehicle, holding onto each other for safety as the craft took off, pushing them back into their seats as it careened off following the same path the choppers had been taking above them.

“Dr. Jaeger, do you think you’re capable of—“

“I already have it settled. Get us to base.”

The short man in the front seat scoffed, and took a sharp turn in response.

The scene before them was devastating.

Hundreds of people had flocked to the base, suitcases at their sides and tears on their faces, cramming together in a desperate attempt to get a spot on the next ship to leave the planet’s surface, and the soft reverberations that could be heard emanating from the ground terrified them even more. Eren slid up onto his knees so that he could watch as that scene quickly flew past, the driver quickly bringing them to the back of a square concrete building, a ship sitting just behind it.

Eren jumped out of his seat and immediately began to run towards it, when a hand latched onto his arm, the fingers gently pulling him to a stop. “Eren,” it was his dad, “I need you to hold on to something for me.” His mother and the others didn’t pause as they ran to the shuttle, climbing up the steps and disappearing within its metal confines.

Eren nodded at his father, squinting curiously as his father knelt down on the ground before him, not quite understanding why he didn’t just give it to him on the shuttle.

“I need you to listen carefully to me.”

An emphatic nod, “Okay.”

Grisha reached down into one of the deep pockets on the coat that the Doctor wore, and when it withdrew, a golden key came with it. His father made quick work of pulling it over Eren’s head and pressing the key to his chest with a large palm, holding it there. “Always wear this, and never let go of it.” With that, he stood, and Eren smiled down at the keepsake, fingering it gently as he turned to make his way to the shuttle.

“Doctor Jaeger!” The driver called, gesturing to the seat behind him, “We have to move.”

The Doctor quickly boarded the hovercraft, leaving his son to notice his absence only when it was too late to cry for him. By this time the seats of the shuttle already full, everyone hurrying to buckle themselves in, and Eren was held fast to his chair by his mother. “Dad! Where’s dad!?” He screeched, struggling to writhe from her grasp.

Carla kept a firm grip on his shoulders, bending over as he tried to stand again, forcing him down as Mikasa threw herself onto his lap and latched onto his arms as he tried to punch his way out, reaching for the aisleway in a blind attempt to find his father.

“No, Eren—“ Carla breathed, pushing him back down with force, pinning him to the chair.

There was a loud crash, and the shuttle gave a leap, jerking forward, tip diving into the pavement and scooting forward with groan. Passengers were flying about the cabin, screaming, hitting the sides and falling on top of each other in a mass of confusion.

Armin who hadn’t had the time to strap himself down was thrown, tears escaping his eyes as he shrieked in terror. That’s when Eren noticed, looking out the window, the massive limb that had knocked the shuttle to the side. Exposed muscle ran in thick tendrils, coiling and shifting as the Titan stooped to look inside, the gargantuan eye coming level with the window that Carla was sandwiched against. Her breathing slowed as she lay protectively over her son and Mikasa both, hiding them her body and trembling in fear. It wasn’t long before the other passengers had calmed enough to notice the grey eye that was slowly blinking at them; and it took even less time for them to notice the lips that seemed to be pulled back into a mocking grin, one that exposed the wide pearly teeth that seemed all too human.

Everything inside the cabin was suddenly still, quiet, fear fusing with the air, turning it into a deathly miasma that everyone shared.  Eren heard his breath rushing through his ears, and quailed, balled fists resting exactly where they had landed last, knotted into the leather of the seat in front of him. That deep-rooted fear paralyzed him; Carla lay frozen in place, eyes locked on the monstrous figure that occupied the window.

They were here.

Grey blinked, and the hush suddenly erupted into a cacophony of panic, people tripping over each other, screaming as they ran to the front of the shuttle, beating their hands against anything they could. Mikasa’s grip on Eren’s torso constricted until he choked, and he was pulled back as his mother flung her body across the two, again shielding them from the Titan’s line of sight as best she could.

A loud, brassy voice cracked through the din—it was the shuttle pilot, “Fasten your restraints. We are making immediate take off!”

Most of the panicking passengers either didn’t hear the command, or otherwise ignored it, too scared to think, but the idle engines kicked into gear. Exhaust that had previously been harmless now ignited, chemicals tearing and burning away the flesh of the Titan as is it pulled away, the yell of pain it released reverberating the cabin around them and shaking them in their seats. Bodies flung themselves to the floor, grabbing onto anything to keep themselves centered as they cried, the spacecraft quickly accelerating and making a sharp turn that threw the huddled trio against the window with its force. There was a brief jerk that jostled them again, now tossing them to the floor as the injured Titan had grabbed at the tail of the craft, meaning to stop its movement but only further burned itself on the emissions, howling in anger thumping along after, throwing the craft around as it tipped dangerously to a single side.

The Captain’s voice again belted, “Fasten your restraints!”

People hefted themselves up as they scrambled into any seat that they could reach. Belts were being pulled furiously and shoved into their respective slots, the clicks resounding even more clearly than the angry screams of the Titan that was in hot pursuit of the shuttle, it’s footfalls rocking the ship each time, though by this time it was much too fast to be caught, the complex engine already hurtling it forward at increasing speeds. The shuttle pulled up at a sharp angle, everyone crying out as they were launched backwards into their seats and safely out of reach out of any of the Titans.

Eren sat buckled to his mother’s lap, face pressed against the window, breath coming short as he watched the devastation unfold beneath him on the tarmac.

The Titan horde had fallen within minutes, tearing apart ships that weren’t lucky enough to have the sophisticated engine that theirs did. The boy watched with horror as a single Titan emerged from the side of the concrete building that they had just sped behind mere minutes ago, bits of debris flying and covering the tarmac in a layer of rocks which were crushed into powder as the Titan stood. It began to make its way towards the large Linershuttle that he had seen previously jam-packed with people, all of which were now streaming out of the metal deathtrap. With little effort the monster had bent over and ripped a wing off the body of the shuttle, exposing the passengers, dumping others on the ground and killing several as it stepped on them.

Humans ran every which way, tripping over their feet while others lay dead where they had hit the concrete. Teal eyes followed that single Titan, covering his mouth, trying not to shriek as he watched as the thing reached down, picking up one of the terrified people. Tears began to spill over his eyes, perceiving every grim detail even as he was jettisoned to safety.

The Titan lifted the helpless form which sat squirming in its immense grasp, tilting its head in what seems to be curiosity. Eren stared, trembling, as the Titan then opened its maw and bore down on the body with its teeth, ripping the person’s torso free from the rest of their body, blood spattering across its fingers and spreading across the sallow lips like a sick kind of gloss. Legs dangled in its grasp, and the creature simply dropped the body and moved on.

Eren tore himself away from the window after seeing many of the other shuttles receiving the same fate, sick to his stomach. Quietly curling up as best he could on the lap of his mother, tears flowed down his cheeks freely. None of this had ever supposed to happen.

Their craft had been one of the few to have made it out quickly bearing only a small number of people. All the others which had been sitting at the airport now lay in decimated pieces, littered amongst the many corpses that covered the ground like a sickly shroud.

Mikasa sat silently next to them, buckled into her seat; she hadn’t looked, but she had heard the screams, and the haunted look on her downcast face only spoke of the nightmarish scenarios she had been imagining. Nothing she could think of could ever match the terror of the reality.

Armin had found his way back to them and currently sat next to the black-haired girl, strapped in with her in her seat mimicking the position he had adopted when they had been sitting in wait at Eren’s home earlier.

 

Hopeless.

 

17 YEARS LATER

Eren revved up the energy saw, smiling as the start sent a jolt through his covered palms. One breath through the filter, breathe out and—on flicked the neon blade, humming with energy, the force of the object crackling to life forcing Eren up in the open space. He yanked his anchor back on and the boots of his suit connected with the metal of the dilapidated space craft he was supposed to be working on, rocking it in the nonexistent gravity that held it aloft.

With that he set to his work, not enjoying the solitude and isolation as much as he did the action of sawing through the junk with little more than an electric tingle, the blade automatically extending upon contact with the metal, cutting it cleanly through the entirety of the ship’s hull.

It was lonesome work, and the respirator made a constant keening beyond the hum of the machine in his hands. Working like this was something that he at least enjoyed. Occasionally, Eren would get a kick of briefly shooting off the saw, so that he could get momentum and float around. Not that it was entirely safe, of course; but it was still entertaining. And when you were alone, for the most part, in the vacuum of space, why the hell not?

Static went off right in his ear, and Eren winced, twitching and knocking the blade at an awkward angle through the scrap he was carving up. Cursing beneath his breath he flicked a thumb over the ignition to shut it off with a flash as it fizzed and then shot back into the generator with a pop.

“Hey, Eren, we’ve got some parts in here that aren’t shaped right.”

Oh, it was Armin. At least it was his friend and not his annoying as hell Akkranian supervisor. That would have irritated the fuck out of him—the dumb bitch couldn’t keep his mouth shut and just rubbed Eren the wrong way with every shitty demand and order he made.

‘Do this,’ and ‘Do that, human,' it was just infuriating the way he would speak. The way that he spat ‘human’ out like it was something disgusting, something lesser than him. But there wasn’t much that he could do if he wanted to keep his job.

That and Mikasa would stop him every time he went to punch in the Akkranian’s elongated face. Just seeing its wrinkled muzzle pissed him off.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll be there. Gimme a few minutes to finish carving this piece.”

“Roger that.”

Eren rolled his eyes, “Quit the dumbass formal speak. It’s a private line, s’not like anyone else is gonna—“

“Eren, I hear you.” Mikasa suddenly cut in. Of course. She would have to make her presence known just when the man thought he would be able to make a point. Apparently not.

“Yeah, okay, okay,” he tapped out impatiently, “But I gotta finish this. I’ll meet you both at lunch break.”

“Sure.”

Mikasa didn’t have a chance to reply as Eren flipped the communicator module off, huffing as he blew hair out of his face inside his suit, effectively fogging up his helmet. Great, just absolutely wonderful. Oh well. _At_ _least I get to finish this up_. Flicking on the energy saw once more, then cleanly split apart the rest of it from the nick he had made earlier.

Satisfied with his work, he kicked the part he had carved off and observed as it steadily floated away, supported by nothing. Flipping another tab, he opened up the small thrusters on his suit, coasting over to his towing vehicle so he could push the freshly cut piece of junk into the hangar that Armin was working in.

The three of the children had been lucky; growing up, they managed to stick together, each of them looking up to Eren’s mom Carla for guidance. That was a role she embraced and was adept at, even with the displacement of what was left of the human race. It had been years since they had last seen another human just traveling through Tau 17. The four were the only ones permanently settled for any length of time in this particular sector, and they had been separated from the rest of the human race with minimum contact for the past sixteen years.

Eren parked in the open garage, letting the hunk drift where it would as he hit a switch and entered the air lock where he then stripped off his gear with a call of freedom before flipping it over his shoulder with the wave of his hand and exiting into the main body of the Tau 17 deep-space pit stop. At least that was the only thing he could think to call it, anyway.

The wide room he walked into was teeming with life; Akkrainians huddled in one corner, hissing and clicking as they bartered, Gutans belting out bass notes as they grunted, awkward limbs twitching as they stood hunched over. Their large, black eyes were obscured by the fatty rolls of what could only be described as a brow ridge, though to call them expressive would be the overstatement of the century.

The few residents that he had to pass by in close proximity gave him rough shoves, their cackles sounding more like the harsh vibrato of a dying rabbit than actual laughter. Eren shrugged it off, keeping his cool as he continued towards the back line until something shoved him hard from behind, sending him sprawling across the metal floor. Gear that had been propped on his shoulder skidded out across the metal grate of the deck, the helmet rocking as it ceased movement, with Eren’s face planted firmly into the deck with a thud.

Pushing up, he balanced on his palms, not surprised when he was pushed back to the deck with force;  he pushed his hips up, moving the concentrated pressure in the middle of his back down between his shoulders to knock the creature off balance. Jumping to his feet, the brunette whipped around with arms raised and fists clenched, jade eyes burning in intense anger.

What he now saw was a Shankrii gradually righted itself, its long, lean legs covered by a form-fitting neoprene material, accentuating the gentle slopes of muscle that contoured the flesh. The torso was triangular in shape and more human, the place where a chest would be instead carved of smooth muscle that ran straight down the front of his body, bluish skin stretched taught. Its midriff was fully exposed, allowing full view of the impressive marbled blue tone that peppered across the alien skin. When Eren looked it in the eye, he instantly recognized the reptilian head and the cocky grin that greeted him to be that of Kreenah, a long-time acquaintance that enjoyed messing with himself and Armin. Gritting his teeth, Eren furrowed his thick brows into deep lines as he stared the other down angrily.

“What, human, think you can get back at me?” Kreenah sneered in his watery tone, white teeth flashing as he opened his mouth, the blue skin moving without a wrinkle.

“Yeah, I just might!” Eren fired back, knuckles white as he took a threatening step forward. Kreenah scoffed, sounding like cracking metal as he laughed. “Oh, good one, human. I’m sure that you’ll make a fine ingredient for our oh so lovely chef to work with, don’t you think boys?”

Akkranians that had settled in to watch the spectacle wooped and hollered, waving around their thin arms enthusiastically as Eren was slowly surrounded by a rowdy ring of goading aliens, who either shoved or prodded him, jostling him into moving every few seconds.

“Kreenah, you’re dead meat,” he snapped, shaking off a Gutan’s tentacle as he rushed forward, having every intention of landing a fist on the Shankrii’s snout with every bit of force he would be able to deliver. And he would have as well, if a slender hand hadn't caught his forearm, stopping his movement as the hand glided along his arm to the center of his chest, softly but firmly keeping him in place.

“Eren, are you alright?”

He couldn’t face Mikasa directly. Turning his face to the side, he nodded once, “Yeah. ‘M fine.” Kreenah suddenly stood straighter, allowing his impressive stature to look leaner as he uttered a friendly greeting to her. “Mikasa, always lovely to see you.”

Ignoring the Shankrii and his throng, the girl quickly took Eren by the elbow and escorted him away, hand firmly enclosed around his wrist and leaving him with little choice as he was pulled along, only being allowed the chance to pick up his scattered suit and gear before being dragged again, cheeks growing hot at the howls of laughter that followed at his heels, mocking him thoroughly.

He couldn’t snatch his arm back from his sister quickly enough, and he did so as soon as he could, opening his mouth to snap something at her when he noticed Armin already sitting at their table, having hailed their lunch and already popped stools out of the floor for them.

Glancing up from his book, Armin noticed them standing off to the side and waved them over. “It’s about time—he get in trouble again?”

“Kreenah got ahold of him,” Mikasa explained lightly as she claimed the seat across from Armin, leaving Eren the space between them both.

The blond rolled his shoulders in a small gesture of what can be done? “I figured it was something like that. Though the Akkranians are getting more hostile than usual,” he noted, idly spinning his hooked fork through the meal, eyes trained on the book that he had since reopened.

“I’ll say,” Eren quipped, stirring around his own food without interest, cringing at the way it squirmed. All fell quiet for a moment, Mikasa already having started to eat her lunch, Armin reading his book, Eren getting increasingly irritated by the writhing orange mass before he stabbed his utensil into the organism with a cry of utter disgust.

“Is it too much to ask for food that doesn’t move while you’re trying to eat it!? For shit, I just want something that I’m not gonna regurgitate later because it was fucking moving in my stomach!” The brunette growled, pushing away his tray, eyes shooting over his shoulder to look at the open line of food. “Do they even have any mustard? Shit.”

Mikasa paused, raised a brow, then reached for Eren’s hand. “Just calm down, Eren. We don’t need to make more shows for these guys to enjoy, right?”

“She’s right Eren. If you start another fight we’re gonna have to end up leaving this sector. Think of the work it’ll mean for your mom, especially since we all have jobs right now, and at least a place to sleep. Besides that, it’s not worth the effort over some food.” Armin intoned, glancing away from his book, marking the page and setting it down.

He wrinkled his nose, “Though I can agree that I’d prefer already-dead food to this.”

At that, Eren had to crack a smile, shaking his head as he resumed prodding at the less-than-appetizing meal, Mikasa removing her hand to smack the back of his head lightly.

“I can’t always cover your sorry ass, you know.”

Eren rolled his eyes with a laugh, “Yeah, yeah,” then finally settled down to eat, the trio enjoying silence in each other’s presence.

 

By the time Eren swiped open the door to what he had come to call his home, it was later in the evening than he had expected. The others should have already made it back. Sighing heavily, he tossed his suit off to the side, a small metal table catching it with metallic clacks.

He barely had enough time to unhook his COM Unit before he noticed a deep, unfamiliar voice drifting into the entry lock. Already irritated, Eren pulled on a grey standard issue tank top, adjusting the chain around his neck and positioning his identity keys right in the center of his chest, a shirt tied around his waist.

Clicking the jam, the door quickly kicked back and allowed him through into what had been adopted as the living area, lips pursed and cracking his neck. However, the shock of what he was presented with was enough to give him pause to consider if his intention of starting a fight with whoever had entered his family’s home was really such a good idea, considering the fact that the guy appeared to be a really short, muscular hoodlum with something to prove, if that sleeve tattoo was anything to go off of.

Mikasa stood beside Carla, who was maintaining a conversation with the man—Mikasa was glaring daggers at him though, and Armin was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room, skin-tight gear for Walks still adorned. The blond was also the first to catch a glimpse of Eren, and motioned him over.

Moving over to the side gave Eren plenty of time to analyze the man’s appearance.

He was roughly 5’3”, maybe 5’4”, with jet black hair that was slicked back against his head, and a close undercut. A tattooed pattern delved smoothly into a scrawling tribal design that trailed from behind his right ear to the wrist on his right hand. There was no lack of muscle on his body, the white tank he had on holding tightly to his pallid skin that hinted at considerable strength. The loose black trousers, combat boots, and cigarette dangling from his mouth completed the look: total scumbag.

Definitely no one that he wanted around, and the look that Carla was giving the stranger set Eren on edge.

Armin quickly grabbed at Eren’s arm, pulling him in quickly. “That guy’s been here since before Mikasa and I got back.”

“His name’s Levi,” the ravenette added quickly, sidling up to the other two as she had slipped away from the older woman. “He wants something, and your mom doesn’t seem too keen on the idea.” Grey eyes hinted that it was something serious.

An eyebrow twitched, sudden apprehension and fear for the well-being of his mother making Eren completely disregard any plea that Armin tried to make. The younger boy just smacked a palm to his forehead when Eren turned around to face the back of Levi’s head, fists on his hips.

“Y’know mom, I know that with the human race being almost entirely annihilated and having our planet taken from us the pickings are kinda slim, but this guy looks like a bit of a bum.”


End file.
